The Commodore's Corner

The Commodore’s Corner

Should I Mow the Lawn or Go Sailing?

After spending most of the early part of the summer getting ready for or being involved in family obligations, we’re back and hope to spend the remaining weekends of the summer at the lake. And I hope to be a little more active in club activities and to make it down for a beer can race or two.

All of these family activities, though, led to some pondering of that age-old question: Should I mow the lawn or go to the lake?

A close friend and former member once analyzed that question like this. Males in his family had typically died by age 60 of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. He, fortunately, is very aware of this risk and is taking precautions against it. When he turned 40, he observed that, if his family history ran true to form, he had 20 summers left. In a typical summer, there are perhaps 20 really nice weekends from mid-May to mid -October that you can get to the lake to do what you really enjoy most (assuming that sailing is your passion, as it is for many of us). Inevitably, family obligations that you can’t avoid, such as weddings, graduations, soccer games, etc., will occupy, say, 5 of those weekends. That means you have 15 weekends, or 30 days per summer. Multiplied by 20, you have about 600 days for the rest of your life to do what you really love.

He then looked at me and said, “I have 600 days to go sailing. Am I going to spend one of those mowing the lawn?”

Maybe we all need to rethink our priorities. And to tell you where ours are–the trim on the house didn’t get painted before Janet’s family came for a visit!

Miscellaneous Thoughts from the Bridge . . . .

Are We Lucky?

Ever thought about how lucky we are to sail here? Granted, the winds are a bit fluky (which will be discussed in the next Corner), the water temperature is a bit brisk, and we’ll all be high and dry if the summers of 2000/2001/2002 repeat themselves.

But–you could be sailing in the blender at Chatfield or Cherry Creek, where there are approximately 4.2 power boats per square foot and the wakes make the chop from a 20 knot breeze look like ripples. Or you could be at Dillon, where the season is 3 months long at best, you can’t sleep on your boat except in the marina, and water contact sports (i.e., swimming) are prohibited. Someday, the Denver Water Board is going to have to explain that one to me. People can’t get in the water, but heaven knows how many sheep and cattle are stomping around in the water and happily pooping away in it.


True, Dillon has one of the most active racing programs in the state. Maybe one of these years, some of us can get organized and haul one of the R-28's up there for the Dillon Open and try our luck against the hot shoes. My rule of thumb is, whenever you see a tricked-out boat with the entire crew in matching foulies, watch out. But I digress.

We sail on the largest lake almost in Colorado, have unlimited anchoring spots and room to cruise, solitude if you want it and look around for it a little, at least some wind, and a terrific marina facility and staff. I, for one, count my blessings.

Seamanship

One of the family obligations was a cruise to the Caribbean; Mom took the whole family. Now, I have to admit that this wasn’t really a hardship!

But during our trip I noticed that more and more of the tenders and other boats coming alongside the ship or dock, in addition to having twin screws, had one or more thrusters. (The ship actually had six, three each at bow and stern.) After watching the skippers maneuver, I decided that if you can lay an underpowered auxiliary sailboat with a single screw alongside a dock in tight quarters with the wind setting you off the dock, you just might know a thing or two about seamanship!

Hope to see you all for National Marina Day and the He-Man Cup.

David Dickinson
Commodore
“Windrose” Ranger 28